Our book Fit & Healthy Pregnancy has been a long time coming, both for me and for the topic of exercise, pregnancy, and new motherhood.

In 2006, my boy planted the seeds for this book with the Cheerios he threw in my hair while we watched the Boston Marathon on TV. As I made lunch for him in his high chair, I watched athletes whose afternoon was looking pretty different from mine and welled up with tears as the exhausted people ran across the yellow line on Boylston Street.

I wanted to be one of those people. I decided the marathon was within reach, since I knew how to run and my baby already had me exhausted anyway. And with a Cheerio to my temple, the seed was planted. My love of marathoning became a love of coaching, which was the perfect venue for merging my doctorate in women’s psychology with my dedication to sport. Fit & Healthy Pregnancy is the result of that extensive work with other women and my experience as an athlete mom.

I’ve met many women who find strength and sustenance in sport and fitness, and this book is meant to underscore that they don’t need to give up athletics when they decide to grow a family. The need for activity translates into a habit of the most awesome self-medication, whether it’s running, biking, swimming, yoga, or some other cathartic activity involving your body—and pregnancy doesn’t mean you must quit that healthy vice. Mother’s Little Helper isn’t a pill; it’s a good sweat.

This website is a guide to helping you find that zone of wellness as your body performs its ultimate feat of stamina and endurance: creating, growing, and delivering a baby.

Please consult your doctor before embarking on an exercise program during pregnancy.

Fit & Healthy Pregnancy dispels generations of old wives’ tales about exercise and pregnancy. Exercise during pregnancy isn’t just safe, it’s healthy for you and your baby. This modern, comprehensive guide shows active women how to stay strong and in shape before, during, and after pregnancy.